From Dark Out Of Light
by Donna Lynn
Summary: Beka and Rhade are alone on the Andromeda making repairs when all her systems shut down leaving limited power…from there everything gets a bit…strange.


**From Dark Out of Light**  
><strong>Author:<strong> Donna Lynn  
><strong>Status:<strong> Complete  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 3,846  
><strong>Rated:<strong> R  
><strong>Content Warning:<strong> Language, violence and sexual content.  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Beka and Rhade are alone on the Andromeda making repairs when all her systems shut down leaving limited power…from there everything gets a bit…strange, or not.  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> Beka/Telemachus Rhade

**Author's Note:** _I have no idea why I never posted this on but now it's posted, guess it slipped through the cracks but I could have sworn I had it posted here at one point and time._

* * *

><p>Beka flattened herself against the wall with a shuddery breath and closed her eyes to calm herself. She was out of breath and she could hear her heartbeat like a thousand drums in her head. For the last three hours she had been trapped on the Andromeda with a certain deranged Nietszchean. Andromeda herself was unresponsive due to an unexplained power failure just before all hell broke loose. The only thing operational at the moment was limited heat and lighting. All doors and pathways had to be opened manually and there was no sound, no sound at all, which was why she was trying to be so careful. Rhade and his enhanced senses would probably sense her from two or three corridors over.<p>

"Andromeda…" she tried quietly. "Rommie…" When no response came she sighed and slumped against the wall. Communications were down as well so there was no warning Dylan or the others. She and Rhade weren't due back for some time and that meant a rescue mission was out of the question for the time being. Which meant she had to deal with Rhade until she could figure out what to do.

She took a deep breath and listened to make sure it was safe to continue down the corridor. She drew her weapon and carefully peaked around the corner. Just as quietly and carefully she started down the corridor. As she made her way through she wondered where he could be. Damn Nietszchean she thought. Almost four hours earlier they took the Maru to Andromeda to do their shift of repairs. The trip there was normal as normal could get. Lately normal had been above normal. A month had almost passed by since everyone found out that Beka was the female progenitor or the Nietszchean race. A realization that Beka was just now starting to come to terms with. The same could be said about Rhade. He ignored her like the plague for the first week. She could tell he was having trouble adjusting. His Nietszchean side demanded he protect her at all costs, but having known her for almost four years before knowing she was the Matriarch of his race, it was hard to change the way he treated her and saw her.

It wasn't too much long after they almost died stuck in a room together. Beka was sure that if she hadn't been who she was Rhade would have possibly killed her, and vice versa. The room seemed to bring out the worst in both of them. Certainly didn't bring out the best in them. Again, nothing had been said afterwards. Things went back to relative normalcy. It was when Trance's sun showed up that things started to change. Dylan wanted Beka to gather some plasma from the plum to help Trance's ill condition. That meant getting terribly, dangerously close to her sun. Rhade to say the least did not like the plan. Over and over he practically begged her not to do it. When Beka ignored his rants he shut the Maru down and took the controls away from her.

_"No one tells me how to make my choices," she demanded calmly. "Reconnect me to my power supply."_

_He retained a determined look like he wasn't backing down. "You have a greater duty," he explained. _

_She moved in her chair to face him more comfortably. "Okay let me get this strait. You see me as queen, mother, Nietszchean, that right?" she asked. _

_"You are Matriarch, yes," he answered glancing at the control panel. _

_"So you're like my subject, my vassal? Without me, you wouldn't be, is that right?" she wanted to touch all bases. _

_"Also true," he answered tensely. _

_"So I'm the Queen and you're some cheap spin-off of my DNA," she taunted. _

_"I wouldn't go that far," he bit back. _

_"You have to do what I say, right?" she asked without missing a beat. When he just stared at her like he didn't want to answer she straitened herself as if to be formal. "Telemachus Rhade out of Majorum by Rhade, is that true?"_

_He knew he was stuck between a rock and a hard place then. "Yes, Matriarch if you order, it is true, " he admitted. _

_She nodded, "Okay then, consider yourself ordered. Give me control of my ship. We're gonna launch that probe and return with what Trance needs to survive, and that's final." Without a moments hesitation he reached over and returned full power to the Maru with a __gesture of his hand, as if to say 'here milady'. _

_They launched the probe, with difficulty, but as always they managed to pull through. _

_"Okay, Trance here we come. I just hope we're not too late," she glanced over her shoulder. "And you, loyal subject…thank you, for coming along for the ride." _

_"I wouldn't have any other way," he smiled sarcastically. _

_She smiled with a small chuckle, "A girl could get used to that."_

_"I may never get used to it, but it is my duty. Even if Dylan himself interferes," he admitted without hesitation. _

_Beka almost believed him…almost…_

Since then things were different. If she was on the Andromeda, he was on the Andromeda. If she were on the Maru, he was on the Maru. She wanted to yell and throw something at him for being such a hover drone but…he wasn't irritating her in the least. So when he invited himself to go with her to the Andromeda she wasn't surprised and didn't protest. She had gotten used to his company. Was that a good thing or a bad thing she wondered?

There were no signs that Rhade would have gone psycho when they reached Andromeda. A million reasons went through her mind at once. He quit drinking a few weeks ago…no that wouldn't make him be this crazy…it could be his new found duty…she thought absentmindedly as she made a corner. Could he have been drugged? Was the fact that he would probably never run into another Nietszchean again finally make him crack?

It wasn't until they were on the Andromeda and the systems went down that he started acting strange. When the lights went out and the control panels on command went down they decided to head to engineering and see what the problem was. Neither wanted to be on the receiving end of Dylan's anger when they told him they killed Rommie. They tried communicating with Andromeda but she was unresponsive. The ship had turned into a floating abyss. They were on their way to engineering when out of no where Rhade stopped and simply stood in place with his back to her. She looked around him to see why he stopped and when she didn't see anything she stepped up beside him. "What?" she asked puzzled. His face was tense like he was trying to fight something. His eyes cut at her and before she could react he grabbed her around the throat and shoved her into the nearest wall. As they hit the wall she stumbled but gained her bearings as he leaned forward and growled close to her face. Then he leaned forward as if to smell her when she flattened her back against the wall and with all her force shoved him away giving her the moment she needed to run.

Rhade gained his bearings quickly and stalked after her, but didn't run. "Beka!" he roared through the silent ship. "Come out come out…wherever you are…"

She stopped dead in her tracks as a chill ran down her spine. The tone of his voice stirred something inside her that she wasn't willing to admit he touched.

"Why are you running Beka?" His voice seemed to carry as if he were Andromeda himself. He was no where but everywhere at the same time. "You can run…but you can't hide." He stopped and closed his eyes tilting his head to the side. "I can hear your heartbeat Beka…it's thundering in your chest…you wanna know why…"

Beka gasped and grabbed the nearest wall as her stomach clinched in an all too familiar tingle. She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall trying to gather her wits. "Because you're scaring me Rhade," she found herself saying before she realized.

He chuckled deeply making her wince. It was almost as if his voice was touching her deep inside where no one could reach. "No…you're not scared of me Beka…you're scared of yourself," he explained his voice getting closer. "You're scared because you don't want to give in."

She started down the hall again hoping to keep some distance between them. She didn't know what was happening and quit frankly she didn't care at the moment. All she wanted to do was get to the Maru and head back to the planet to let Dylan know what was happening. Andromeda was a sitting duck and Rhade wasn't going anywhere, unless he was the cause of Andromeda's condition.

"If you think not speaking will keep me from finding you Beka you're mistaken. I could find you anywhere if I had too," he berated casually.

It was after that when silence over took them. For the next couple of hours she did everything she could to avoid any encounters on her way to the Maru. She needed to get off the ship and to Dylan. Rhade needed help with whatever was wrong with him. Something had to be wrong if he jumped her, right? If she could only communicate with Andromeda then she would be able to lock him in a section of the ship to keep him from moving so she could escape. With Andromeda down she was on her own for however long it took. She was close to the docking bay and almost laughed in relief but quickly stopped herself.

She rounded another corner and stopped dead in her tracks when the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She whirled around with her weapon drawn to find Rhade leaning against the wall not six feet away. She narrowed her eyes trying to see him better but he was hidden in the shadows. All she could see were his bone blades and the lower half of his body.

"This is what I miss most…" he started with a low throaty tone."…the thrill of hunt…tracking your prey…the challenge of life…"

She shook her head not understanding his words or his actions. "What are you talking about? What the hell is wrong with you?" she insisted still pointing her weapon at him. He hadn't moved from his position and it unnerved her somewhat. She felt like she was being wound up and at any moment she herself would snap. Only when he was close by did she feel this way.

"You can feel it…can't you?" he practically purred from the shadows.

She shook her head harder to clear her thoughts and quickly regained her senses when he pushed away from the wall to step into what little light there was. "Don't come any closer Rhade," she threatened.

"I'm not gonna hurt you Beka," he held his hands up as if he were surrendering. "That's the last thing I wanna do." His eyes bore into hers.

She had to admit he seemed calmer. His eyes held emotion, not coldness like before. That still didn't stop her from being careful. If there was one thing she learned from Tyr and Rhade it was to be careful no matter how seemingly harmless the situation was.

"What's come over you?" she asked more calmly. "What happened to Andromeda?"

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Can't you smell it?" he whispered. "At first I thought it was you. Your scent is always so comforting, but this is something more…" he trailed off opening his eyes meeting hers. "You have such a Nietszchean spirit Beka. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when you turned out to be the Alpha mother of all Nietszchean's."

"Is that what this is about?" she asked backing away slightly her weapon still trained on him. "Shouldn't that like…disgust you are something." When Dylan had told the news to everyone Rhade made a face and left command saying he was going to be sick. At first the comment didn't bother Beka but later on when she had time to let everything sink in, it did. Then other things started to pop up in her mind. Was it a bad thing if she was attracted to Rhade? It took them both a little while to adjust to the new unavoidable situation. Would he really be duty bound to her even if he didn't want to?

"You've never disgusted me Beka," he let his hands fall into the all to familiar parade rest position. "Just like you never disgusted Tyr Anasazi."

The mention of Tyr made her stiffen. He was always a sore subject after what happened the year before. "This has got nothing to do with him," she almost whispered.

"Doesn't it?" he asked tilting his head softly.

She shook her head in denial. "What are you talking about Rhade?" Why is he talking in riddles? She wondered.

He slowly started towards her as she continued to back away. "I think it does. All your disdain for me, all the things you didn't like in Tyr you passed over onto me," he sounded hurt.

"That's not true," she tried to reason.

"It is!" he yelled in a commanding voice.

"It's not!" she yelled back. "I don't hate you Rhade and I don't hate Tyr." She let her weapon drop to her side and she rested her stance on one hip. "I just hate what he did to me…" she murmured. She felt drained all the sudden, unable to keep up a strong front. "How could anyone want me to be the mother of an entire race that was meant to be perfect in every way?" She chuckled to herself and looked up. "A race that has been marked by its bad seed." She met Rhade's eyes with tears in them. "Everyone will want to kill me even more now. They will see me as the ultimate threat because some of your race has decided that the rest of the universe doesn't need to be."

"Nothing will ever happen to you Beka. Until your natural dyeing day no one will ever harm you," Rhade vowed stepping within arms reach of her.

She didn't step away when he took her face into his hands and wiped the few tears she shed away.

"What's happening?" she whispered feeling weighed down by his physical presence. They were both acting so strangely. One minute he was almost violent, the next he was gentle, then things went the opposite direction. Now she was acting like scared little child that didn't want such a big responsibility.

"I want you Beka," he spoke so quietly she almost didn't hear him, but she did.

She blinked and tried to pull away but was already trapped. "Wh...what?" she tried not to sound panicked.

He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against hers letting his hands slide down her back, down her back side to rest on her waist. "Don't fight it…we've both been fighting for so long, " he whispered against her lips.

"Rhade…" started but he cut her off.

"…shhhhhh…" he soothed. "I know you don't want to get close to me because of Tyr. I know you associate all Nietszchean's with Tyr…you shouldn't. Not all of us are like him."

She shook her head lightly, "This isn't you Rhade, whatever is happening to you is happening to both of us and it's disorienting our thoughts…" In a more sensual way it felt like they were right back in that room, locked away.

"…no it's just making us focus on our wants," he finished hastily. "There's always been a certain amount of tension between us but we've never acted on it and you want to know why? Because we're cowards, you're afraid I might be Tyr and do the same things he did and I'm afraid I'll loose you."

She closed her eyes not wanting to acknowledge his words. She wanted to crawl into a whole and make it all stop. She wasn't ready to admit these things to anyone least of all Rhade. She admired Rhade for so many things. The thought of being intimate with him had crossed her mind too often. Then it hit her…did he say he was afraid to loose me? Her eyes snapped open and she pulled back enough to look him in the eye. "What do you mean loose me?" she asked softly perplexed. "Is it because I'm Matriarch?"

He shook his head, "No, what I feel for you has nothing to do with you being Matriarch, but it doesn't change things."

"What did you mean then?" she wanted to know.

He swallowed as if to be nervous and looked down then back into her eyes. "I'm afraid of letting you down. Before you…things are more complicated now. I'm sworn to protect you no matter who stands in my way." He paused to gauge her reaction. "And I would have done the same before coming to this God forsaken system."

She shook her head in confusion, "Rhade if anyone should be worried about letting anyone down it should be me. I just found out I'm the mother of an entire race. When we get back to our place, our time, whatever, I'll be expected to do things I'm not ready to do. For the life of me I don't understand why Drago picked me!"

He grasped her face between his hands and made her look at him. "He choice you for good reason Beka. You're a survivalist, you're strong, spirited and loyal…just like a Nietszchean. Don't you understand? You are the basis of my race," he explained with compassion.

She gave a brief cynical laugh, "I'm not loyal Rhade. Hello! Don't you remember what happened before we got stuck here? I was gonna tuck tail and run to save my own butt!"

"But you came back!" he retorted. "You came back because we're your family! That's loyalty! That's what matters most!"

"I can't do it Rhade," she sounded defeated, not like her at all.

"I believe in you Beka," he admitted softly. "I think you're really scared at how well you will do as Matriarch. Think of the good you can do with just the simple fact of who you are. I don't think you realize just how important you will be, how important you are. No Nietszchean will ever risk your life in any way."

"You don't understand Rhade I don't want this responsibility!" she practically cried. "Because I'm afraid…"

"I know you are and we will all be here for you every step of the way," he soothed.

A few moments of silence passed and Beka could have sworn she could hear their heartbeats. Space was so quiet, so blank. She closed her eyes again and leaned against his forehead. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her. The sound of his breathing comforted her and excited her at the same time. She opened her eyes and rested her head against his neck. The temptation to trace her tongue across his flesh was too much. Slowly she flicked her tongue against his pulse point and exhaled. The heat of her breath made him close his eyes. A tingly shiver ran down his back as she continued the slow torture.

"Rhade…" she breathed moving to rest her head against his. "What if I told you…that I wanted to know…what it felt like?" Her entire posture changed. She exhumed confidence now and had no fear of showing it. "…to have you inside me…in total control…" She ran her hands down his chest to lightly brush his hips and thighs but not touching him where she wanted too. "…taking me to heights I didn't know existed…places that only an alpha Nietszchean could bring me…" She was physically and verbally teasing him, and she knew it.

Rhade rested his hands on her hips and ran his nose across her face inhaling her scent. A scent that he was all too familiar with. He knew when she menstruated. He knew when she ovulated. He knew a lot of things she didn't know he knew. He never acknowledged them in fear of embarrassing her, but at the same time he knew she was smart enough to know that he could sense it. At times he wondered if she would crowd him on purpose during a cycle? "I would never hurt you Beka…" he admitted genuinely.

Suddenly it all came so clear to Beka. In Nietszchean society the males posed, performed, and tried to impress a suitable female. In return the female would choose the best suitor to be her husband. However, the female was only allowed one husband but the husband could have as many wives as he wanted. The more wives the more status.

"They'll expect me to choose a husband won't they?" she asked knowing he would understand her meaning.

A growl sounded from deep inside his chest, "Most likely, every Matriarch and their alpha males will insist on meeting with you."

She smiled against his chin, "That would drive you crazy wouldn't it?" She could feel his jaw tense.

"It is your choice," he gritted out evenly.

"That's not what I asked," she nipped his jaw lightly.

He growled lowly again, "No one is good enough for you."

She kissed his jaw gently, "That's right…it is my choice…"

Suddenly all systems on the ship began to power to full capacity. Lights, panels, doors, all of the above. Beka and Rhade looked around as if a little groggy.

"Beka? Rhade? Are you alright?" Andromeda's hologram appeared before them.

Beka and Rhade looked at each other with a puzzled expression. Whatever had come over them was now gone.

"Beka…Rhade?" Andromeda repeated anxiously looking between her two crew members.

Rhade shook his head to clear his thoughts, "We're fine Andromeda, what happened?"

"Unknown, when my systems went down I lost all record of it. I am unable to ascertain how long I was shutdown or what caused the malfunction to my systems," Andromeda stated then tilted her head as if scanning. "However, I am detecting a new power source within my core. All my systems are fully operational with one hundred percent capacity, including my slip drive."

Rhade shook his head confused, "That's not possible."

Beka nodded, "Rhade's right, whatever happened during your shutdown must have fried some of your sensors Andromeda there is no way you could be at full capacity."

"Reassessing…" there was a pause amongst them. "…analysis shows all systems are fully operational."

"What's the signature of the power source?" Rhade asked.

"Unknown," Andromeda stated.

Beka couldn't help but laugh, "So you're saying that enough energy to power the entire ship just came out of nowhere?"

"That is the best assessment I have at the moment," Andromeda offered.

**THE END**


End file.
